Category Archives: press issues

Alaskan Editor on Sarah Palin: “Woefully Unqualified”

Steve Lopez, who has a movie coming out this Christmas called The Soloist, is probably the most popular and best-paid columnist in Los Angeles. He’s popular for good reason. He takes on tough issues, including homelessness, illegal immigration, and school bureaucracy, but with bracing good humor. This weekend he went to Nome, Alaska, to testContinue reading “Alaskan Editor on Sarah Palin: “Woefully Unqualified””

Ike Knocks Nation’s Largest Refinery Out ’til October

Because Hurricane Ike has blown out power to much of the Texas coast, the nation’s largest refinery — the Exxon Bayless facility, which can produce over 500,000 barrels a day — will be out of commission at least until September 30th. That’s according to the WSJ, which adds in conclusion: So while the economy isContinue reading “Ike Knocks Nation’s Largest Refinery Out ’til October”

Mold Warrior Attacks Yours Truly

Interesting: a couple of weeks ago I linked to an LA Weekly story about the battle over mold. I thought it was a fascinating piece, but Sharon Kramer, the controversial "mold warrior" at the center of the story, most certainly did not like it. In her defense (see her comment to the link above) sheContinue reading “Mold Warrior Attacks Yours Truly”

It’s No Party at the LA Times

Miguel Bustillo, a first-rate reporter and writer who came up through the ranks of the LA Times, is leaving to take a job with the Wall Street Journal. American journalism is full of LA Times ex-pats: another is  Robert Lee Hotz, was the top writer at the paper on global warming issues before he leftContinue reading “It’s No Party at the LA Times”

The Uselessness of the Instant Expert

David Appell takes Matt Ygleisias, his readers, himself, and the entire blogosphere to task in a memorable rant. He’s got a point: instant experts on any issue can be worse than useless, especially on difficult subjects — such as drought in the Southwest — that require more than an hour’s reading to understand. Why amContinue reading “The Uselessness of the Instant Expert”

U.S. Marine Officials Oust Blogger/Photographer for Photographing Suicide Attack in Iraq

Bloggers sometimes get an inflated sense of their own importance, but Zoriah is no ordinary blogger. He’s an experienced combat photographer who has been doing something unprecedented. He publishes from Iraq — and allows other bloggers to post his images. And he cares about what’s happening there. A few days ago he photographed the aftermathContinue reading “U.S. Marine Officials Oust Blogger/Photographer for Photographing Suicide Attack in Iraq”

Lede of the Week

"SANAA, Yemen —  Jaber Elbaneh is one of the world’s most-wanted terrorism suspects. In 2003, the U.S. government indicted him, posted a $5 million reward for his capture and distributed posters bearing photos of him around the globe. !– var rn = ( Math.round( Math.random()*10000000000 ) ); document.write(”) ; // –> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/16/AR2008051603921_StoryJs.js?8679010439 None of itContinue reading “Lede of the Week”

LA Times: The Nightmare, Now on Steroids

As new boss Sam Zell hires a passel of executives from Clear Channel to run the newspaper. Via the WSJ: Tribune has hired half a dozen radio executives since Mr. Zell took effective control of the company in a leveraged buyout in December, most prominently Mr. Michaels, a former radio chief for Clear Channel CommunicationsContinue reading “LA Times: The Nightmare, Now on Steroids”

Another LA Times Editor Fired: More Lay-Offs Coming

The annus horribilis at the Los Angeles Times continues, as yet another editor in Los Angeles is fired by the corporate heavies back in Chicago — for what, the fourth year in a row? It’s beyond counting. Here’s just some of the bad news that came out of this martyred newspaper last year, courtesy ofContinue reading “Another LA Times Editor Fired: More Lay-Offs Coming”